Alright, this is going to be a long post, so prepare yourselves. Let’s start with the highs!
Olivia is officially on low flow oxygen! The is a great step because she will more than likely be going home on low flow oxygen. She is on 1.5 liters and doing great so far. What’s also nice about it is we can take her in and out of the crib easier and don’t have to ask anyone to help us.
Because Olivia is now on low flow we can start to try and feed her by mouth. We are going to try and give her a bottle on Monday.
Today Olivia had her hearing exam and she passed! WooHoo! Olivia continues to gain weight and grew another cm this week.
Now onto the lows…
The last few days have been a bit emotional. On the same day Liv went to low flow, we found out that she has a hernia. It is common in preemies. Here is some info about it:
A “nuck hernia defect into the peritoneal cavity” refers to a condition where a part of the abdominal lining (peritoneum) protrudes through a weakness in the “canal of Nuck” in a female, creating a connection between the inguinal canal and the peritoneal cavity, allowing abdominal contents like the ovary or bowel to potentially herniate into the groin area; this occurs when the canal of Nuck, a fetal structure that usually closes after birth, fails to fully obliterate, leaving a potential opening for herniation.
So for Olivia, her ovary is what went through. This is better than an intestine, but still not good. They were able to push the ovary back, but the hole will need to be closed so it does not happen again. This means Olivia will have to have surgery. This is a very common surgery with preemies, although it happens more with boys. It will be a short surgery that will take an hour to an hour and half. It will be done laparoscopically, but she will have to be put under general anesthesia. Olivia has been through so much already. Jeremy and I have each had our moments over the weekend of breaking down and being worried. Luckily they have been at different times so we have been able to support each other during those moments. Liv is our fighter and she is our strong girl, but it doesn’t make it any easier. We have seen parents throughout our NICU stay who have had to send their little ones off for for a procedure and seen their worry and pain. We always told each other how thankful we were that we had not had to do that. But now here we are, scared, nervous, and just wanting what is best for our girl. The surgery will not take place until we are closer to going home. We will not know that until we see how she does with feeding. We will let you all know as soon as we have more details about a date.
140 days. It is honestly hard to believe. We try to celebrate the milestones because we are so happy to have our Lil’ Liv, but this milestone is hitting different than others. 140 days is a long time. We are coming up to 5 months of Olivia in our world. But in our world has meant the NICU, far from home. Never having been on the outside of those walls, or taking a breath of fresh air. The daily drives to the hospital, lacking time for self-care and taking care of our home. Having less time with our family and friends. Feeling exhausted physically and emotionally. Trying my best at work when I really want to just be at the hospital, but then when I am at the hospital, feeling guilty for not working. It is all taking a toll. I am so thankful for our support system because without it and our amazing primary nurses, the fatigue and emotions we feel would be tenfold. I pray that our NICU chapter is coming to a close soon, but Liv still needs time before she gets to take that drive home with us. Lately, I dream about that day and can’t help but tear up. It is still an unknown and is hard to imagine it really happening.
If you are still reading, thank you for allowing me to be vulnerable with where I am. I look forward to sharing more great updates of Olivia. Our little hero, who continues to show us what true resilience is.
Lil’ Liv’s Numbers:
- Age: 20 weeks
- Adjusted Age: 5 weeks + 4 days
- Weight: 9lbs and 12.4oz
- Length(Updated on Sundays): 20.86 in or 53 cm
Until next time..
PS My editor is currently sleeping so I apologize for any typos.
The One... 